


Life Changes

by MoonRiver2220



Category: Figure Skating RPF, Olympics RPF
Genre: F/M, Future Fic, Olympics, Teen Pregnancy, Unplanned Pregnancy, family fic, figure skating
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-03
Updated: 2018-10-03
Packaged: 2019-07-06 14:35:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 19,162
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15888000
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MoonRiver2220/pseuds/MoonRiver2220
Summary: Tessa and Scott's son finds himself in a predicament that could potentially alter his life and theirs...forever





	1. Life Changes

**Author's Note:**

  * For [emmamellin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/emmamellin/gifts), [avocadhoe](https://archiveofourown.org/users/avocadhoe/gifts).



> Fic and chapter titles from Life Changes by Thomas Rhett
> 
> I received a prompt yesterday for this fantastic fic idea...and here we are!  
> I'm thinking this will be around 5 chapters, we'll jump ahead in time...and see where we end up!

**May 4, 2039**

 

"Mom?" Mac called out as he let himself into the house through the back door. He shook his jacket as he removed it, sending water droplets flying onto the floor.

 

"Hi, sweetie, I'm in here," Tessa called back from the living room. She had just sat down in front of the fireplace with a new book she'd had on her reading list for a while. There never seemed to be enough time for reading, in her opinion.

 

Mac dropped his skate bag on the floor in the hallway before joining his mom in the living room, opting to take the sofa across from her so she wouldn't have to move her legs that she had propped up on a stack of pillows. He knew they ached, especially when it was raining outside, like it was that afternoon.

 

Tessa placed her unopened book back on the coffee table for later. "What's up kiddo? I can tell by the expression on your face. Did something happen at practice?"

 

"Not exactly." Mac picked at a loose thread on the white slipcover. "Is dad home yet?"

 

Tessa's face fell. _He's going to tell us he's giving up skating. Shit. Just breathe T. It's his decision, it's his life to live, not yours._ She cleared her throat. "No, not yet. He should be here shortly. Do you want me to make you some hot chocolate while we wait?"

 

Mac shook his head. "I'm fine, mom. Just stay there and rest your legs."

 

Tessa smiled softly. Her sweet boy was just like his father, so caring and loving. Always looking out for the needs of everyone around him. _He'll make a good husband and father one day. But not too soon, he's barely 19._

 

"Tess?" Scott's voice called into the house as he dumped his skate bag next to his son's in the hallway.

 

"In here, babe."

 

"You're a sight for sore eyes. I've had a day from hell. I swear it just can't possibly get worse. Oh hey Mac! How you doin' buddy?"

 

"Hey dad," Mac replied, not looking up to make eye contact with Scott.

 

"Why so glum, chum?" Scott asked as he clapped his son on the shoulder.

 

"MacCormack has something he would like to tell both of us. We were waiting for you to come home. Sit?" Tessa patted the cushion beside her as she pulled her legs up towards her body, wincing slightly.

 

Scott obliged and sat beside Tessa as she moved her legs back into his lap. He absentmindedly began rubbing them out of habit, his fingers kneading at her muscles.

 

"The floor is yours, son. Remember, open and honest communication. No judgment," Scott said softly.

 

All the years of therapy, including their early years with Suzanne, played a huge role in the way they parented their children.

 

"So, I was at this party a couple weeks back at Liam's house. Just after Worlds," Mac started.

 

Tessa closed her eyes. She knew all about the house parties skaters threw for their friends. Their son had been thoroughly informed at a young age about drugs and sex, and about how wild these parties can be, especially at the end of competition season. Everyone was celebrating their wins or trying to forget their losses. Tessa and Scott had been to their share of those parties in their youth. They had always looked out for each other though, where as Mac often went to these solo.

 

"Well," Mac continued, "I may have gotten myself into a situation. I hadn't intended for it to happen or anything. It just kinda did, you know, one thing led to another. I don't know for sure yet, it's just a maybe, I should know later today, but I wanted to tell you now just in case it is something and then maybe you can help me figure out what to do. I'm not really sure how to handle this."

 

Tessa was internally screaming for her son to get to the god damn point of his story already. _What the hell did he do?_

 

Scott gripped Tessa's hand tightly, rubbing his thumb over her knuckles. He knew she was having an internal panic attack right about now.

 

Scott looked at his son, and when Mac finally looked up at him, he saw Scott give a nod of his head to continue.

 

"So I sorta hooked up with this girl. We've hung out a few times before, we're not best friends like you two were, but we're friendly. Anyways, I was chatting with her at the rink this afternoon, after my practice. Just for a few minutes as she had to get onto the ice. She's a skater too, synchro. She's got some amazing talent, you should come watch her sometime."

 

Tessa started to take a breath and Scott knew she was going to cut in and demand the abbreviated version of Mac's story, so Scott cut her off.

 

" _Tess_ ," he warned under his breath as he tapped his thumb on the back of her hand twice, to get her to relax.

 

Mac sensed his mom was getting antsy, so he moved on to the real reason he was sitting in his parents living room that Wednesday afternoon.

 

"Anyways, she told me that she thinks she's pregnant and that I'm probably the father," Mac said really quickly, before he got too nervous to go through with it.

 

Tessa loudly sucked in her breath as her eyes went wide. She felt Scott's hand squeeze hers tightly.

 

Scott remained surprisingly calm on the outside, but Tessa could hear his deep breathing and could feel the tension radiating through their clenched hands.

 

"Has she taken a pregnancy test?" he asked Mac after the initial shock had subsided.

 

Mac shook his head. "She promised me that she would...and that she would talk to her parents tonight."

 

"And she's sure that you would be the father?" Tessa said quietly, still trying to wrap her head around what their son just told them. _He's only 19..._

 

Mac shrugged, "I don't know for sure. I guess I don't have a reason to believe she would lie about something like that. But, I mean, we're not really dating...not officially or anything. So I guess I don't know if there were other guys."

 

"Have there been other girls, Mac?" Scott asked.

 

Mac scratched his fingers through his hair. "Yeah...but I swear to god I've used a condom every time...except with her, I can't really remember for sure?"

 

"Clarify please," Tessa said softly as she closed her eyes, _it almost would have been better if he had said that he was quitting skating. I think I could have handled that easier than this._

 

"She was the only one I slept with that night, but I'd had a lot to drink. No drugs, I swear."

 

Mac let his mind drift back a few weeks, trying to recall the exact details...

 

*

 

The house was full of skaters, wall to wall people. The air was a little hazy with smoke, a potent combination of cigarettes and marijuana, thanks to the people who were too lazy or drunk to go outside to smoke, subjecting the rest of the group to their noxious fumes.

 

Mac was only on his second beer when the vodka shots started flowing. He hadn't had alcohol in months due to his training and just the beer alone was hitting him hard enough. He threw back a second vodka shot before disappearing onto the front porch.

 

The night air of early April was crisp, but the alcohol coursing through his body kept him warm enough.

 

He saw someone perched on the far end of the deck railing. He made sure to make enough noise as he approached, he didn't want her to get spooked and fall off the railing.

 

"Hey," he called out as he approached her. She was wearing a familiar-looking Ilderton Skating Club hoodie, with the logo printed on the back. It matched the one he was wearing.

 

Mac wasn't sure who she was at first, all he saw was the sweatshirt and blonde hair pulled into a ponytail.

 

As she turned to look at him though, he knew. He'd watched her practice before, the synchro team had ice time right after ice dance at the Ilderton rink. She was really good; clean lines, speed, graceful. She was so fluid and he'd often wondered what she'd be like as an ice dance partner. They had spoken briefly a few times at the rink, mostly about skating.

 

"Hey, Mac. Is it too wild in there for you too?"

 

"Yeah, I can only take that type of environment for so long and then I need a breather."

 

"Congratulations on your gold at Worlds, by the way. You and Connie are really good. You definitely have a shot at the next Olympics and Team Canada."

 

Mac ran his fingers nervously through his hair before leaning against the railing she was sitting on.

 

"Thanks, Lola. You girls did really well too, a bronze is still a decent medal. Podium is the goal, right?"

 

Lola laughed. "Yeah, my parents said that too. Next year we're aiming for the top though."

 

"So, any plans for the summer?" Mac asked as he took another swig of his beer. _I really should cut myself off,_ he thought.

 

"I'll be around until mid-May, then I think I'll head home for a bit. My parents live in New Jersey, I just billet here during the skating season."

 

"Oh..." Mac toed a loose piece of wood on the deck floor with his shoe.

 

"What about you? Any big plans?"

 

"Hanging out at my parents cottage on Lake Huron, and my mom is dragging us all to France again in August. I guess I shouldn't really complain about that, but I miss my friends while we're there. I like hanging out at the pool but there's only so much of that I can do, and my sisters can get annoying."

 

"Did you ever ask if you could bring a friend with to France?"

 

Mac shrugged, "Nah, mom and dad say it's supposed to be family time. I just assumed they'd be against it."

 

"Doesn't hurt to ask. Worst they say is no, and then you're in the same place you are now." Lola swung her legs over the railing and jumped down. She stood in front of Mac and looked at him, they were nearly the same height. He had maybe three inches on her, but she looked older than him, he still looked fourteen.

 

"Do you wanna go for a walk?" she asked with a grin. Her dimples and dark chocolate brown eyes melted every part of his body and drained the blood from his brain.

 

Mac didn't really know if 'go for a walk' was a code phrase for something or if she just wanted to walk around, but he wasn't one to pass up an opportunity when it was standing in front of him. Plus, he wanted to burn off some of the alcohol in his system. His head felt lighter than he would like. _Make smart choices_ , he could hear his mom's voice in his head.

 

"Sure," he replied, his grin equaling hers. He put down his nearly empty beer bottle on the porch steps as they made their way down towards the streets of suburban London.

 

The skaters walked in companionable silence for a bit. Mac saw Lola shiver as they passed through the puddle of light shining down from the street lamp. He pulled off his sweatshirt and handed it to her.

 

"Aren't you going to be cold?"

 

"Nah, go ahead. I'll be fine. I can see you're shivering."

 

"Thanks," she said as she took the sweatshirt from his outstretched hand. She pulled it on, his was larger and fit comfortably over hers. The extra layer made her feel warmer immediately. She pulled the front of the collar up to her nose and inhaled. His sweater smelled like him. Of course it did, but now that scent was lingering right under her nose and it was intoxicating.

 

She'd noticed him at the rink. How could she not, he was _so_ good. She would purposely arrive for her ice time early, just so she could watch him practice. He exuded talent and confidence on the ice; of course he did. His parents were five-time Olympic medalists, skating was in his blood. Mac inherited the best qualities from both of his parents; deep edges, musicality, a dancers body. Plus he was a choreographic and technical wizard. He could quickly throw together a routine and execute it nearly perfect the first time. She'd often wondered what it would be like to dance with him on the ice. She imagined it would be exhilarating.

 

Lola knew he was single; she'd asked around. He wasn't dating his dance partner, despite the rumours. They didn't like each other that way. Unlike his parents, he'd gone through three partners already. Each had moved on for different reasons; height difference, injury, and leaving the sport. While he might be following in his parents' footsteps on the ice, off ice it was a very different story.

 

Lola shivered again, Mac saw it out of the corner of his eye. He bumped his shoulder against hers before wrapping his arm around her, pulling Lola towards his side.

 

"You're still cold. Do you wanna head back to warm up?"

 

Lola looked over at him and nodded. "Okay, but I'd like to spend more time with you tonight."

 

Mac grinned as he tightened his grip around Lola's shoulder. "Me too."

 

As they returned to the loud house, music still blaring, they realized it was starting to empty out. Some people had gone home, some had found a place to crash for the night. Several were passed out on the living room floor.

 

"Drink?" Mac asked as he grabbed two plastic shot glasses and poured them each a shot of whiskey.

 

"Sure," Lola replied as she shrugged her shoulders. She hadn't had anything yet that night.

 

He held his glass up to her, "To more podium wins," he grinned. They tapped the plastic cups together and drank down the pale brown liquid.

 

"Ugh, that burns," Lola shuddered. "Hit me again, three shots for third place."

 

Mac obliged and poured her a second and then the third, just as she had requested.

 

She placed her empty cup down on the table and took Mac's hand in hers. "Let's go celebrate our podium wins," she whispered in his ear....

 

*

 

"Shit. I remember...we didn't use a condom. I didn't have any within reach and she had said it was fine, she was on birth control." Mac raked his fingers through his hair again and tugged on the ends. _Pain. Yeah, this is all really happening._

 

Tessa pinched the bridge of her nose between her thumb and forefinger, taking slow, calming breaths.

 

"Is she alone? She shouldn't be taking this test by herself sweetie," Tessa finally asked.

 

"Uh, I don't really know? She's billeting. I mean, her parents don't live in London. She's still on the ice practicing right now, for about another hour."

 

Tessa stood up. "Alright, let's go then. _You_ can buy her some tests and we'll head over to the rink right now. _You're_ going to own this choice you made and be with her when she finds out. We'll proceed from there. Go. Get your coat."

 

Scott stood up and put his hand on his wife's back, rubbing it in slow, calming circles. He knew she was thinking of that one time the two of them were in this very predicament. They had learnt from their mistakes, just as their son would have to.

 

"I'll drive," Scott said with a sigh.

 

 


	2. Ain’t It Funny How Life Changes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They saw her skate over to Mac the second she saw him, a big grin on her face. They chatted for a few moments and then she stepped off the ice, placing her pink guards over her blades.
> 
> "Scott!" Tessa hissed as she yanked on his coat sleeve. "I'd know those eyes and dimples anywhere!"
> 
> "Well, they're not mine!" Scott put his hand to his chest, pretending to be offended.
> 
> "No, you goof," Tessa swatted at his arm.
> 
> "Who do you think they belong to?" Scott sighed. “Just tell me instead of making me guess.”

**Chapter 2: Ain’t It Funny How Life Changes**

 

"So, which one is she?" Scott asked as he scanned the line up of synchro skaters on the ice.

 

Scott, Tessa, and Mac were seated on the bleachers in the viewing area of the Ilderton arena with 15 minutes left of practice. Mac nervously clutched a white plastic bag from Shopper’s Drug Mart in his hands.

 

"Fifth from the left," Mac said, easily picking her out, even though the girls all looked similar in their training outfits. Scott and Tessa couldn't really see her face clearly from where they were seated.

 

At one minute left on the clock they walked down the steps towards the boards to wait for her. Scott and Tessa hung back a bit, they wanted Mac to talk to Lola first.

 

They saw her skate over to Mac the second she saw him, a big grin on her face. They chatted for a few moments and then she stepped off the ice, placing her pink guards over her blades.

 

"Scott!" Tessa hissed as she yanked on his coat sleeve. "I'd know those eyes and dimples anywhere!"

 

"Well, they're not mine!" Scott put his hand to his chest, pretending to be offended.

 

"No, you goof," Tessa swatted at his arm.

 

"Who do you think they belong to?" Scott sighed. “Just tell me instead of making me guess.”

 

"Poje."

 

"She's clearly _not_ Andrew, babe. He's a lot taller and wrong hair colour."

 

"Nooo...Scott! She's one of their daughters. I know she is!"

 

"Nah, T, that's crazy. Don't you think I'd have noticed a Weaver-Poje name on one of the roster lists? I've personally looked at every list, multiple times. Guaranteed there is no one here by that last name. Besides, why wouldn't they have told us one of their girls was training here at our club?"

 

"I don't know babe, but she looks just like them; Kaitlyn's hair colour and Andrew's eyes…and both of their dimples. I swear she's got to be their daughter."

 

"Friendly wager?" Scott wiggled his eyebrows at his wife.

 

"Of course." Tessa thought for a moment. She needed the perfect idea...something that would punish Scott a little for doubting her. "Got it!" she said as she snapped her fingers. "Loser goes without an orgasm for a week. Winner gets double."

 

"Geez, T! Keep your voice down!" Scott looked around to make sure no one had overheard them. "Are you sure you're ready to give up my services for a whole week?" he asked as he leaned in close.

 

"Who said I was giving them up? I _know_ I'm right, and you _know_ you shouldn't be doubting my instincts by now."

 

"Game on, Virtch. Kiss on it to make it official?"

 

"Always," Tessa grinned as she cupped his chin in her hand and pulled him towards her for a passionate kiss on the lips.

 

Scott pulled back as she tried to slip her tongue in his mouth, "No tongue at the rink, T. Kids are here."

 

She swatted his butt playfully as Mac and Lola made their way over to where they were standing.

 

"Dad, Mom, this is Lola Houston. Lola, you probably know my parents, their faces are plastered on the banner hanging over there," Mac pointed with his thumb towards the wall on the far side of the rink.

 

"I do, it’s an honour to train at your club."

 

"Lola said she's cool to come back to our house to... _you know,_ " Mac held up the bag as Lola blushed.

 

Tessa pulled Lola in wordlessly for a hug. She rubbed her hand in circles on Lola's back as she felt the girl melt into her. Tessa knew if one of her daughters was in the position of being away from home and possibly pregnant, she would want any other rink mother to be there for them.

 

"We'll figure this out together, okay? None of us will put blame or judgment on the other. We'll just take this one step at a time," she whispered in Lola's ear.

 

"Thank you, Mrs Virtue-Moir."

 

Tessa pulled away to look at Lola, "Please, just call me T or Tess. We don't need to be all formal with each other."

 

Lola nodded.

 

"Mac, we'll wait for you two in the SUV," Scott said as he pulled Tessa with him.

 

*

 

"I gotta ask, T. If you think you're so right, how do you explain her last name?"

 

"Oh, that's easy. It's _so_ obvious," Tessa said as she rolled her eyes. "It's a stage name."

 

"Tess, she a synchro skater, not a Broadway star. That's a ridiculous stretch and you know it. She's not part of the Weapo family."

 

"Look, we may have drifted apart a little as the years have gone by, but you forget how close Katush and I used to be. Hugging Lola took me back 25 years in a flash; her hair even smelled like Kaitlyn's. 110% she's their kid," Tessa smirked at Scott as they sat in the parking lot.

 

"How's the math on that one, T? Where is that extra 10% from, eh?"

 

"Shush. She is a perfect mix of them and we _know_ they have two girls, one of them named Lola. It's so obvious. Scott, do you really not see it?"

 

"I don't know, babe. I guess I don't really pay attention to stuff like that. Besides, my eyes are always fixated on only one person and you know that," Scott pulled Tessa in for a kiss as Mac slid into the back seat.

 

"Watch the PDA guys, that's gross at your age," Mac teased as he rolled his eyes.

 

"We'll be doing this until we're at least 100, so get used to it, kiddo," Scott teased back.

 

Lola climbed in and sat beside Mac, she had missed a classic Virtue-Moir family interaction.

 

As they started their drive back to London, Mac reached over and grasped Lola's hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. He had learned a thing or two from his parents over the years. Touch was a powerful communicator; a hug or a hold of the hand could mean the world to the person sitting next to you. It said so much without saying anything at all.

 

*

 

Tessa and Lola came back from the bathroom and sat with the guys on the sofa in the family room.

 

"Three minutes," Tessa announced to no one in particular.

 

Mac's creamy, freckled skin was paler than usual and his leg was bouncing up and down nervously as he chewed on his thumbnail.

 

Scott was sitting hunched over with his head in his hands, his fingernails scratching against his scalp occasionally.

 

Tessa checked the timer on her phone every 10 seconds. _This feels like it's taking forever._

 

Lola seemed to be the only calm person in the room. She was sure that she was pregnant, but she wasn't allowing herself to think beyond that. Besides, she assumed she had options. There were ways to make this situation go away, she was still young and had her whole skating career ahead of her. She could be a mom one day, but today wasn't going to be that day.

 

The timer on Tessa's phone buzzed and she stood up silently. She walked towards the kitchen counter where she had laid the four tests upside down on a white towel from the bathroom.

 

"Mac?" she called, pulling him out of his thoughts.

 

Mac jumped up and grabbed Lola's hand, pulling her with him to the counter.

 

"Moment of truth. You two decide who flips them over. This is your maybe-baby," Tessa said grimly.

 

Tessa stepped back and watched her son, his green eyes were full of fear. Tessa knew she had to go with tough love in this situation, but she really wanted to just hold the two of them in her arms and flip the tests over herself.

 

"There's four, so you take two and I'll take the other two and we'll flip them on the count of three," Mac suggested to Lola.

 

"Okay. One, two, three..."

 

"Shit," Mac swore as any remaining colour in his face drained completely.

 

"Language," Scott muttered from across the room out of habit. He jumped up off the sofa a moment later when he realized what that meant. "Fuck," he swore under his breath.

 

Tessa gave him a side-eye before turned to Mac and Lola. "Well, congratulations, you both have some choices to make. I would suggest you sleep on it, don't make a decision today, you need a bit of perspective. Lola, you'll need to call your parents and let them know. If you want any or all of us to be with you when you do that, just let us know."

 

"Thanks, Tess. I'd appreciate it if you would sit with me while I call them. If you really don't mind?"

 

"Not at all. Do you want to do that now, sweetie?" Tessa asked as she rubbed her hand on Lola’s back.

 

"May as well," Lola shrugged.

 

Tessa was surprised at how calm and nonchalant Lola was being about this whole thing. Tessa took Lola upstairs so they could have some privacy, leaving the guys to discuss the results.

 

"I can't say I'm thrilled right now Mac, but you've probably got the easier side of things. You can still skate, your career will still go on. She'll be out for all of next season if she keeps the baby."

 

"What do you mean... _if?_ "

 

"First off, it's her body and ultimately her choice. You two will need to discuss this calmly like adults. If she choses to have an abor—”

 

"Dad! She can't! That's my baby too, I can't...oh god...she can't get a...no. I won't let her,” Mac cried out as tears prickled his eyes.

 

" _Mac_ ," Scott warned as he patted the couch next to him. Mac sat, tears were threatening to spill over from his bright green eyes. He looked so much like Tessa when she was 19; it was almost unnerving. "Son, you can present her with your opinions and suggestions on how you intend to make this work if she goes through with the pregnancy, but you ultimately can't force _your_ decision on her. Part of being an adult is compromise and working together."

 

"Yeah, she can agree to keep the baby, we'll work together on raising it,” Mac snapped back.

 

"Not what I meant and you know that. How will you provide for the baby? Where will you live? Will you live together or will you share custody? What if she wants to move back home to be closer to her family? Will you move with her? Would she want that? Do you want to marry her?”

 

"Whoa! Dad! Too much! Marriage? You're one to talk. Look how long it took you and mom to get your shit together."

 

"Touché, but we're talking about you right now. Think about those questions. You'll need answers to them."

 

*

 

"I should probably do a video chat," Lola said as she rolled her eyes. She assumed Tessa didn't know who her parents were. No one at the rink knew and that had been Lola's whole point. She had wanted to make her own name for herself.

 

"Hey mom," Lola waved at the screen as her mother's face came into view.

 

"There’s my baby girl!"

 

Tessa's eyes went wide. She'd know that voice anywhere. She crossed the floor of her bedroom and pulled Lola's hand towards her so she could see the screen.

 

"Kaitlyn Weaver! I knew it!" Tessa shrieked with excitement.

 

"Tess? What are you doing with—oh. Oh dear," Kaitlyn winced.

 

"You have some explaining to do, my old friend, but we'll talk later. First Lola has something she needs to tell you."

 

Tessa pushed the phone back towards Lola as she tried to contain her excitement over her correct assumptions. _I knew it! Scott was wrong and oh boy is he gonna pay up,_ she smirked at the though of receiving her multiple prizes over the next week.

 

"Lolo, is everything okay? Were you injured at practice?" Kaitlyn was concerned as to why Tessa was with her daughter.

 

"No mom, I'm fine. I...uh...I guess I don't really know how to tell you this gently, so I'll just come out with it. I'm pregnant."

 

There was silence on the other end of the phone. Tessa knew exactly what her long-time friend was doing. She was going through a multitude of facial expressions and cussing under her breath before attempting to regain her composure.

 

"Mom? Say something."

 

"Are you sure, sweetpea?" Kaitlyn was sweating, _this can’t be happening_ , she thought to herself.

 

"I took four tests. They were all positive."

 

 _“Shit_ ,” Kaitlyn swore under her breath. "Have you been to the doctor yet?"

 

"Not yet,” Lola shook her head.

 

"Do you know who the father is? I didn't think you were seeing anyone. Was this consensual?"

 

"I'm not exactly seeing anyone, and yes I know who he is, mom. He was the only one in the last few months. It was my idea to have sex, so yes, it was consensual. Call this a birth control failure. We’re in that 1% I guess."

 

"Who?" Kaitlyn snapped. She was no longer in the mood for playing twenty-questions and her daughter was too chill about this whole thing.

 

Lola looked up at Tessa for reassurance that she could tell her mom. Tessa nodded.

 

"MacCormack Virtue-Moir," Lola winced, waiting for her mom's reaction.

 

"That's why you're with...oh god. Put her back on the phone please, baby."

 

Lola handed her phone to Tessa.

 

"Tess, I'm sorry, we should have told you and Scott. She just really wanted to prove that she could make a name for herself without having _our_ names attached to her and the stigma that comes with it. She didn’t want assumptions made that she'd have talent before she even stepped on the ice. I know you know what I mean. I’m rambling here, I’m too shaken up to speak properly right now."

 

"It's okay Kait, I'm not mad. I actually figured it out earlier this afternoon when I saw her at the rink. She's a beautiful blend of you and Andrew. She's grown up so much since we were last together."

 

"I know, I'm sorry we haven't made more of an effort to get together the last few years," Kaitlyn made an exaggerated pout of her bottom lip on the screen so Tessa would know she was being honest.

 

"I take just as much of the blame on that. Life got busy; kids will do that. It doesn't help that you live in Jersey though," Tessa sighed.

 

"I know, but Fort Lee was special to us, we really love it here. I do wish we were closer to Ontario."

 

"So? What do you want to do about this situation our kids are in?" Tessa said as she chewed on her bottom lip.

 

"Let me talk to her again, T."

 

The three women agreed that Tessa would take Lola to the doctor and have the doctor run the standard pregnancy bloodwork before making any major decisions. They also agreed everyone should sit down for a family meeting to come to a decision that everyone could live with; Kaitlyn and Andrew would be on the next flight out.

 

*

 

"I just don't understand how you're even considering not keeping the baby, Lola," Mac whined as he dropped his forehead onto the dining room table.

 

"Why are we talking in circles about this, Mac? I've told you several times now, skating is my priority."

 

"But if you take a year off, you can still get back on the team in time for the Olympics. My mom was out twice for surgeries and look at her," Mac nodded his head towards his mom. He was proud of how she overcame her obstacles in life.

 

Tessa blushed slightly. _Please, let's not make this about me and my time off the ice._

 

"What if I don't want to take time off?" Lola crossed her arms in front of her body, effectively closing herself off to anything anyone else had to say.

 

"You can skate part way into your pregnancy though, right mom?" Mac looked hopefully up at Tessa and then at Kaitlyn.

 

"She'll be almost six months along by the time skating starts back up, Mac. Probably not a good idea." Kaitlyn sighed. "I have to agree that Lola would be out for one season, but Mac is right, you would have enough time between the birth and the next season starting to get back into shape. Totally do-able."

 

"Mom! Why are you taking his side in this?" Lola cried out in frustration.

 

"Baby, sometimes life takes a turn in a direction we weren't expecting, but it doesn't have to be a bad thing," Andrew offered.

 

"Dad! You too? Do y'all want this baby? Am I the only one thinking logically here? This is my skating future at stake here. I _want_ a gold medal at the next Olympics," Lola stood up abruptly and stomped through the house and out into the backyard.

 

Mac looked at his parents and then at hers. "Should I go after her...or?"

 

"Just give her a moment. I think she had already made a decision in her head and hadn't thought past that. She never considered how her choices would affect everyone else. Mac, if she decides to keep the baby, where does that leave you?" Kaitlyn asked softly.

 

"I'm in this, 100%. I've got money saved up from my wins and I can get a job part time and still keep up with skating. We can get a place together, if she wants that. I know we can make this work. All of this is happening about 10 years sooner than I had kinda thought it would, but I know I can do this. For her...and our baby,” Mac said with a determination that was most definitely part Virtue and part Moir.

 

Tessa and Kaitlyn both had tears in their eyes, Mac was being so responsible and owning this situation instead of trying to make it go away.

 

"You're a good kid, Mac. Why don't you go tell all that to Lola and see what she says," Kaitlyn said with a smile.

 

*

 

It wasn't until the ultrasound, that Lola fully changed her mind.

 

"That's my baby?" she sobbed. “That’s our tiny little baby? Mac? Really?”

 

Mac gripped her hand tighter, "It doesn't look like much now, but yeah, that's our baby," he whispered with a grin on his face.

 

Tessa and Kaitlyn, who had been holding hands in the corner of the dark room throughout the entire ultrasound, gave each other a big hug as they cried into each other's shoulders. "Congratulations, Grandma," Kaitlyn whispered to Tessa.

 

“Never in my wildest dreams did I think one day _we_ of all people would share a grandchild, but I wouldn't want to be doing this right now with anyone else," Tessa whispered back.

 

"I'm glad it's you too, T. So glad," Kaitlyn’s tears dripped onto the back of Tessa’s shirt as she squeezed her friend tightly.

 

Andrew and Scott were sitting in the lobby, waiting for the others to return from the ultrasound.

 

"So, you know what Poje? This kid would be a Virtue-Moir-Weaver-Poje. That's a lethal amount of talent in those genes. Not that he or she would be forced into skating, but I think it might just be born wearing skates."

 

Andrew laughed "And that'll be one hell of a last name for the announcer to say when they take the ice at the 2058 Olympics."

 

"Yeah. They might want to shorten it," Scott said as he chewed on his fingernail.

 

"Well they're not cutting my name," Andrew replied quickly, slightly offended Scott would even suggest that.

 

"Mine either," Scott countered.

 

The men sat in silence for a few moments before Andrew suggested, "So, Poje-Moir?"

 

"Nah, Moir-Poje."

 

"Why do you get to go first?"

 

"What are you boys bickering about?" Tessa asked as she and Kaitlyn returned from the ultrasound room.

 

"Just names. Tess? Everything okay? You've been crying," Scott stood up immediately and pulled Tessa in for a hug.

 

"Happy tears, babe. Lola decided to keep the baby."

 

*

 

Lola returned to New Jersey with her parents, much to Mac's disappointment. He moped around the house for a week before Tessa finally had enough. She bought him a plane ticket and shipped him down to Fort Lee.

 

"He's doting on her like she's the queen, T. It's really cute. He reminds me of a young Scott, all puppy dog eyes and smitten over his girl. Actually, it’s disgustingly cute."

 

"Yeah, he's so much like his dad, which is why I know he'll come through with his promise to take care of her and the baby. He will always put them first. How are they getting along otherwise?"

 

"No arguing or raised voices. She wants to move back to London with him, T. I feel a little sad over that decision, but in a way I think it's the right one. She wants to get back to skating as soon as she can. Right now that’s still her sole focus. I think she’s still coming to terms about the pregnancy."

 

"We'll be here for moral support and grandparent spoiling. Maybe you'll have to move here too?" Tessa joked.

 

"Andrew and I have been discussing it. I don’t know that we just want to uproot our family. Beth has one more year of high school and she has her basketball team and friends here."

 

"I fully understand that, Kait. We'll make this work, I'm sure."

 

*

 

"I want to marry her," Mac blurted out one night at dinner. Scott, Tessa, and his sisters all looked over at Mac. Someone dropped their fork and it clattered loudly against their plate.

 

"MacCormack, you don't need to rush anything,” Scott said firmly.

 

"I'm not like the two of you. I love her and I told her how I feel and I want to do something about it. I'm not going to pine after her while she dates other guys who aren't even half as decent as me. We're already having a baby together, I'm all in,” Mac replied stubbornly.

 

“Sweetie you really need to think this through. Don't feel that you _have_ to marry her,” Tessa suggested softly.

 

“I want to, mom. These last few weeks in New Jersey have been great, I've loved spending time with her. I...would it be possible for Lola to come with us to France? I don't think I can spend three weeks away from her. I know you said it's family time, but she is kinda like family now," Mac asked hopefully. He knew the chances of his parents saying yes were slim to none.

 

" _Mac_ ," Scott warned.

 

"I'm sorry. I know. I shouldn't have asked. That's your family vacation time. How 'bout I just stay home then. I can pick up some extra shifts at the rink to save up more for rent and—”

 

"Mac, honey, your father and I already have discussed this with her parents. We were actually going to tell you later this week once I had all the final details, but I guess we'll do this now. The Weaver-Poje's are all going to be joining us for two weeks in France. They've also decided to buy a house here in London for you and Lola to live in, and so that they have a place to stay when they visit. You'll be responsible for the utilities and groceries and of course all of the baby’s expenses. Your dad and I will help out with some of the bigger items you'll need like a crib and car seat—“

 

"Mom, dad, we don’t need all this help. We can do this on our own,” Mac insisted.

 

“Mac...you're training for the Olympics six days a week. You are working less than part-time hours at the rink and you don't even have health benefits. How are you going to pay for all that?” Scott asked, frustrated at his son’s stubbornness. _His mind is made up, he is so much like Tessa in that way,_ Scott thought as he shook his head.

 

“I have money saved up”

 

“And when that runs out?”

 

“Every gold I win gets me more prize money.”

 

“And if you get injured?”

 

“I won't.”

 

 _“Mac_...”

 

"Fine. I suppose you're right, dad. I'm not invincible. I just want to make everything right. I want to fix this mistake. There. I said it. This was all a huge mistake. I wish I could go back in time and not have even gone to that party. Is that what you want me to say?" Mac stood up and stormed out of the house. He slammed the front door so hard the whole house shook.

 

Tessa opened her mouth to say something and then closed it again. She started to stand up but Scott put his hand on her shoulder.

 

"Let him go, T. He needs to cool off."

 

He turned to look at their daughters. "Girls, finish eating and then you're on kitchen clean-up duty."

 

They groaned in unison.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some of you saw that coming...bravo! What an Olympic-sized combination of genes :)


	3. You Wake Up, Ain’t Nothin’ The Same

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mother and son bond over some heavy confessions. Twice.
> 
> There are no accidents…there is only some purpose that we haven’t yet understood – Deepak Chopra

**Chapter 3: You Wake Up, Ain’t Nothin’ The Same**

 

It was well past 11pm when Mac finally arrived back home. He entered through the front door, hoping he could just sneak quietly downstairs to his bedroom, but the kitchen light was on. He knew that meant she was waiting up for him and there would be no escaping it.

 

“Hey mom,” he called softly as he entered the kitchen so he wouldn’t spook her, although he knew she had heard the front door open and close.

 

“Hi sweetie.” Tessa closed her book and placed it on the kitchen island counter that she was sitting at. She looked at her son and waited for him to begin.

 

His emotional outbursts were rare; he typically bottled up his emotions like Tessa. If the emotions were not dealt with, fireworks happened eventually and he needed to calm down before talking about it. Once he started talking, she knew she would have to let him get it all out before she could respond. In some ways it was easy having a kid with a personality like your own.

 

“So, I went to the rink tonight after I blew up. I skated laps until my legs burned and then I sat in my truck and cried. I fucked up, sorry, _messed_ up. I’m scared and I don’t know what I’m doing or if I’m attempting to fix this in the right way. I don’t really think the baby was a mistake, I mean, we didn’t intend for this to happen. If I had to do things over again, I still would have had sex with her. I’m an adult. I know I need to take responsibility for my actions. I’m thankful that you and dad and her parents are taking this as well as you are. I’m sure you’re disappointed in us. I’m sorry.”

 

Tessa pulled her son in for a hug, she could see his eyes were glassy with unshed tears and it would only be a few moments before they spilled over.

 

“Mac, sweetie, what’s done is done. All we can do now is move forward. Yes, you are both adults and I know you’ll continue to attempt to handle this with grace. This was never something your dad and I wanted for you to go through. I…I’ve never told you this before, but your dad and I went through a very similar experience when I was around your age.”

 

“What? _Mom!_ ” Mac gasped in shock.

 

“Yeah…I thought I had again ruined our shot at the Olympics. My legs were already a mess and then I was late. I was too scared to tell my parents at first. I thought I would be letting everyone down again. Your dad knew something was up with me and I eventually told him first. We thought we had been careful enough and we weren’t even really together at the time.”

 

“Just like us?”

 

“Yup. I thought at first I was late because of all the stress and pressure I was placing on myself, so we took a test. He held my hand while we waited for the results…it was positive. To this day we don’t really know the answer, maybe it was a false positive or maybe from all the stress or me not eating properly thanks to Marina’s constant weigh-ins, or maybe the baby wasn’t developing properly, but…it seems the pregnancy terminated itself fairly early on.”

 

Mac gasped at learning his mother’s secret.

 

“I was both relieved and devastated. Your dad and I grew closer afterwards. The baby we had together, even if it existed for only a brief time, was a bond that kept us tethered to one another when every other part of our lives seemed to be falling apart, time after time. We shared that secret, my mom was the only other person who knew, and I think that deep down inside I knew that little secret would be enough of a bond for us to find our way back to each other permanently one day. I’d appreciate if you keep that close to your heart. It’s private, but I feel that you’re old enough to know about it now, only because it’s relevant.”

 

“I’m sorry you had to go through that, mom,” Mac wrapped his arms around his mom, letting his tears fall fast and heavy.

 

Tessa rubbed her hand over Mac’s back until he stopped crying.

 

“It’s okay, sweetie. Everything happens for a reason. We were not meant to have children then. Truthfully, with us both living in Canton, I doubt we could have made it work having a baby and training for the Olympics.”

 

“What makes you think I can do it then?” Mac pulled away from his mom’s arms and looked at her square in the face.

 

“Your dad and I didn’t want to skate with anyone else. If I was out, then he was out too. You and Lola are not skating partners, you can both continue individually in your sport. She will catch up, she’s a determined little spit fire. You and Connie will carry on like before. You are living in the same city as your family, right now at the same house. That’s a huge difference compared to having family live three hours away. Training for the Olympics means long hours, six days a week. I know you want to take care of Lola and the baby yourself, but you will be so physically exhausted at the end of each day. You won’t be able to stay up all night to help with a fussy or teething baby. I don’t doubt you can do this, but you will need help for some things.”

 

“Okay. I’ll think about that. Maybe some help would be okay.”

 

*

 

It was 2:38am and Tessa couldn't sleep. She tossed and turned. She sat up in bed and watched Scott snore softly. She got up and paced back and forth across their bedroom. She looked again at the clock, 2:48am.

 

"You've got to be fucking kidding me," she grumbled under her breath.

 

Tessa put on her robe and sat down on the bed beside Scott.

 

"Scott?" she said as she stroked his cheek softly with her hand.

 

"Mmm-hmm," Scott hummed in his sleep.

 

"Scott?" she called again.

 

"What's wrong, T?" he mumbled, still partially asleep.

 

"I can't sleep...jet lag. I'm going down to the terrace."

 

Scott sat up in bed and rubbed his eyes as he looked at the alarm clock. "T, we've been here a week and you still can't sleep at night?"

 

Tessa shrugged.

 

"Do you want me to make you some tea?"

 

Tessa shook her head no.

 

"Is there something on your mind? Anything you want to talk about, babe?"

 

"No," she said softly as she ran her hand up and down his bare arm. "I’m fine. I'll catch a nap later. I just didn't want you to worry if you woke up and I wasn't in bed."

 

"I love you, T," Scott said softly as he slid back down to lay his head on his pillow.

 

Tessa pulled the blanket up around him, tucking him in, and gave him a peck on the lips. "I love you too."

 

She walked softly down the stone steps of the villa they had rented in Provence. It had been a tradition of theirs every August since their wedding. It wasn't always the same villa or even village, but they had stayed in the same villa for the last four years and it now felt like their second home.

 

Tessa slid the heavy glass door open and stepped out to the terrace. It was a magical space, partially hidden under the climbing grape vines above. Towards the far end, the vine canopy opened up and the shimmer of light from the full moon shone down and illuminated the light cobblestone path beneath her feet.

 

Tessa wandered slowly towards the hammock that was set up in the corner. It had the most amazing view of the village below. She had spent more time sleeping in that hammock than she wanted to admit, but the slight sway from the warm breeze and the way the fabric hugged her body was soothing to her.

 

She jumped as the hammock moved; someone was already occupying it.

 

"Mac? What are you doing up?" Tessa asked, shocked to find her son laying in _her_ hammock.

 

"I couldn't sleep," Mac stated grumpily.

 

“Jet lag?”

 

“No.”

 

“Do you want to talk about it?”

 

“No.”

 

Tessa let him think a little, she knew he’d come around. She sat down on the top step of the stairs that led down to their private pool.

 

“I think I’m just freaking out a little,” he eventually admitted quietly as he got out of the hammock and sat down beside Tessa.

 

Tessa wrapped her arm around her son’s shoulders.

 

“Would you like to elaborate on that?”

 

“Lola?”

 

“What about Lola?”

 

“Well, it's been almost three weeks since I saw her last. She was back home for two weeks and then we came here. Anyways, when they arrived today, she just looked...so..." Mac waved his hands in the air searching for the word.

 

"Pregnant?" Tessa offered.

 

"Yeah," Mac said sadly. "Before she just looked like she had eaten a little too much or something but now...she's...” he waved his hands around again.

 

"Popped?" Tessa offered again.

 

"Yeah!" Mac said as he snapped his fingers. "Her belly just popped right out. Good word, mom."

 

Tessa leaned back and rolled her eyes. _Yeah, he’s still a 19 year old._

 

“And what about her _popping_ makes you feel the way you are feeling right now?” Tessa knew exactly why her son was feeling this way. She had gone through very similar emotions when she was first pregnant with him.

 

“It’s all so real, mom. This is really happening. Before when her stomach was flat, it was kinda like pretend? I mean, she felt nauseous and wanted to nap a lot, but that was it. Now I can _see_ that something is happening. Shit just got real, mom.” Mac leaned forward and put his head in his lap, letting his arms hang down by his shins.

 

“I can empathize with what you’re going through, buddy. I was scared when I was pregnant with you,” Tessa said softly.

 

“Really?” Mac asked as he sat up.

 

“Yeah. As soon as my belly popped out, I started to freak out too. Your dad was so calm and confident about everything, even though I knew he was a little scared underneath it all. But me? I was terrified. I really didn’t know what to expect, if what I was feeling was normal, if I was eating enough, if you would turn out okay. I didn’t want to screw up something that was so important to your dad. He wanted kids so badly. I wanted kids too, but growing the human was all on me. It was stressful. I didn’t know if I could take care of you properly, I didn’t really grow up around little kids and I was busy with skating during my teenage years, so I never did the babysitting thing. Mostly I was scared I would lose you, like I had lost the first one.”

 

“But I was supposed to happen, right? I wasn’t an accident?”

 

Tessa threaded her fingers through Mac’s hair gently. It was cut like Scott’s but felt more like her own.

 

“You, my love, were definitely supposed to happen. We were in our 30’s and more than ready for you. Also, there are no accidents…there is only some purpose that we haven’t yet understood.”

 

“I’m glad I was supposed to happen.”

 

“Me too. Unfortunately, I lacked experience around babies. I had to figure things out as I went along with you. I made mistakes, but I learnt from them and tried not to repeat them. Your grandmas were a big help. There’s nothing wrong with asking for or receiving help, Mac. Remember, no one expects you and Lola to do this on your own…regardless of your age. If you were 29, we’d all still be here to guide you and help you in whatever way you needed. We are all so proud of how you have owned this situation. We know it wasn’t something either of you expected to happen, but it did. I do believe that everything happens for a reason. It’s hard to appreciate those reasons when you don’t have perspective. Years from now, you’ll reflect back and understand what I mean.”

 

“I think I get that. Like how if you had gone to Turin, Vancouver wouldn’t have felt as special?”

 

“Exactly. Having to sit out Turin was painful. Your dad and I were pissed at first, but it added fuel to our fire for Vancouver. Our first Olympic games, in our home country, and then the gold was the icing on the cake.”

 

“And how Sochi made Pyeongchang more special?”

 

“We learned a lot from our run up to the Sochi Olympics, obviously the outcome wasn’t what we had wanted, but we pretty much knew it was coming. Pyeongchang wasn’t redemption. We knew we had one last run, physically and we had more to prove to ourselves. We barely pulled off those two gold medals…I still feel a little sick sometimes thinking about how if my earring had actually fallen out while we were on the ice…” Tessa shuddered a sigh.

 

“But like you said, it was meant to be. Yeah if you had dropped an earring on the ice you would have been deducted 1 point and won the silver instead of gold. But you didn’t. You skated the hell out of that program. Besides, you and dad were skating for each other. You said that all the time.”

 

“That’s true…and we truly were skating for ourselves and each other. But to lose gold because of an earring dropping on the ice, that would have stung. I’m sure we would have handled the situation with grace regardless, but…”

 

“That’s why people still call you GOATs mom. You two are all-around amazing people and take whatever is thrown at you.”

 

“You know I don’t like being referred to as a barnyard animal, but thank you. I still don’t feel like we were _that_ great, and some of our records have already been broken. Maybe one day you’ll set your own world records.” Tessa reached over and ruffled Mac’s hair.

 

“I intend to,” Mac said firmly.

 

“Good. I love your determination. We worked our asses off for our Olympic runs. If you want gold you have to train hard. Which is also why everyone wants to help both of you out with the baby. We know first hand how much work and dedication that is. You can’t have distractions. As much as I hate to say it, this baby is going to be a distraction. You know, a tiny part of me wanted to go for a fourth Olympics, but life was pulling your dad and I in a different direction. When you came along, my whole world was dumped upside down, but in the best way possible.”

 

“Do you ever regret having us kids?”

 

“Not for one second. I wouldn’t change what I have for the world. Sometimes I regret not having you sooner, but then you wouldn’t have been you. You were born just when you were supposed to, and I know in my heart you will go on to do great things, Mac. Whether that’s in figure skating or something else. You have qualities and characteristics that make you an amazing man…and that’s not just my biased mom-heart talking. I believe that your child is destined for something amazing too.”

 

“Everyone keeps blabbing about how it will be the best skater ever. Part of me wants to never teach it to skate, just to shut people up. I mean, I’m sure it will learn to skate and probably like it, but to put pressure on a child to be amazing just because their parents were…is kinda bullshit.”

 

Tears started running down Tessa’s face. “I’m so glad we didn’t mess you up.”

 

“What do you mean, mom? Oh! No, please don’t cry,” Mac rubbed his hand on his mom’s back to attempt to sooth her.

 

“I’m sorry. Your dad and I had that same pressure on us. Everyone joked that you would have to be an amazing skater. We never forced it on you…you gravitated to it on your own. We made sure to expose you to as many sports as we could, and we tried to let you choose what you liked doing. I love that you chose ice dance, because it’s so close to my heart. I never want you to feel that you have to continue because it’s what your dad and I want from you. We just want you to be happy.”

 

“You tell me that all the time and my answer will always be the same. This is all me. I want to do this. I want to be better than you and dad were. I want to blow all of your records out of the water.”

 

Tessa laughed. “That’s my boy. So…what about Lola. Are you still thinking marriage?”

 

“In my heart, yeah. I mean, I love her and want to make us a family.”

 

“You don’t need to be married to be a family,” Tessa pointed out.

 

“Do you not want me to get married?” Mac asked quietly.

 

“No. I just don’t want you to get divorced. You’re both so young, sweetie. Marriage is a big commitment.”

 

Mac sat silently for a moment, thinking about what his mom had said. “I get that.”

 

“How about we have another big family meeting tomorrow to discuss this and come up with a solution that works for everyone?”

 

“Okay. I think that’s a good idea.”

 

*

 

“Have you two discussed names?” Kaitlyn asked Lola one morning when Tessa was over for a visit.

 

“Names?” Lola asked.

 

“For your baby?” Kaitlyn replied. _What else would be needing a name?_

 

“Oh. No, not really,” Lola shrugged.

 

“You're sort of running out of time Lolo, the baby should be here in the next few weeks.” Kaitlyn sighed internally. She wished her daughter would show a similar passion for this baby as she had for skating.

 

“Mac and I don’t want to saddle the baby with any name that might cause the baby to hate us later in life. I mean, Weaver-Poje-Virtue-Moir is a mouthful and that's just a last name.”

 

“Is that what you're going with?” Tessa asked. That was a _big_ last name.

 

Lola shook her head. “This poor baby is already going to have the weight of Olympic games expectations on his or her shoulders. I don’t know if we want to give it all four of those names.”

 

“Well, what were you thinking instead?” Kaitlyn prodded.

 

Lola shrugged. “Is it allowed to just not give the baby a name? Let it choose it's own name when it learns to talk?”

 

Kaitlyn and Tessa looked at each other and tried not to laugh.

 

“I have to pee again,” Lola mumbled as she stood up and left the room.

 

"And that is what reminds me of the fact that they are only 19. Let it name itself? Tess! What the hell? Were _we_ that stupid at 19?" Kaitlyn whispered.

 

"Let me see," Tessa said tapping her finger on her chin. "I had major surgery on my legs without knowing it would even work, I had my nose done, and I was dating Fedor. I'm sure _my_ mom wasn’t thrilled with everything I did either."

 

"At least your red hair was gone by then though," Kaitlyn giggled.

 

 

*

 

“Mac? Can we try again? Please?”

 

Lola was five days past her due date. She was feeling panicky that this baby would never get out of her body and that Mac would have to leave for Canadian Nationals before it was born.

 

“Happy to be of service, Lo,” Mac grinned as he jumped up off the sofa and followed Lola upstairs. Thankfully they were currently home alone and wouldn’t have to muffle their noises.

 

Lola had been insatiable throughout her entire pregnancy; she just couldn’t get enough sex. When her OBGYN had suggested they have sex to possibly bring on the start of labour, Lola had rolled her eyes. She snorted with laughter when she and Mac were walking out of the appointment. “If he only knew how much sex we were having and it hasn’t helped yet,” she held her hands around her belly, it hurt to laugh so hard.

 

Tessa joked with Kaitlyn that the baby would be a boy, stating that she had been insatiable like that with Mac, but less so with each of the girls. Kaitlyn pointed out that she and Scott were always humping like rabbits though, so why would that change during pregnancy. Tessa had flung a pillow at Kaitlyn and knocked over a lamp, which caused a chorus of giggles and more wine being poured. The two friends were really enjoying their re-kindled friendship.

 

Lola didn’t want to find out the sex of the baby, but Mac did. Lola won that argument with the help of the ultrasound technician who refused to point out anything on the screen since the mother wasn’t on board with knowing.

 

At the insistence of the parents and Lola, Mac didn’t buy an engagement ring. The pair were told to table the idea until after the baby was born. Tessa and Scott insisted that being in the middle of a life changing event was not the time or place to be making a second life changing decision. Kaitlyn and Andrew wholeheartedly agreed.

 

Lola on the other hand felt frightened by the prospect of marriage. She thought of skating as her only life and world and even though she was coming around to the idea of becoming a mother, and had listened to Kaitlyn’s and Tessa’s advice about how she _could_ do both things and not have to give up her Olympic dream, she wasn’t sure she wanted to be tied to Mac for the rest of her life. Sharing a child with him, and most nights a bed, was enough for her right now. She didn’t want to make any other adult decisions for the time being.

 

Lola knew Mac was head over heels in love with her, he told her every five minutes (or so it seemed), but she didn’t know if she felt the same. She liked him, loved him in a way…but that way? She didn’t really know. Most days her pregnancy hormones seemed to muddle her 19-year-old brain to the point of tears. She cried a lot, mostly over ridiculous things like Mac bringing her breakfast in bed even though he was not a morning person and she was or because she couldn’t reach her feet to put her socks on or at how tiny the baby clothes were that she had just finished washing and put away in the closet. But lately she cried over how much she missed skating and being able to move gracefully instead of all wobbly with her giant watermelon belly throwing off her centre of balance.

 

Kaitlyn and Andrew had temporarily moved into the house (that they had bought for Mac and Lola to live in) in northwest London in mid-December, the baby was due December 30th, but no one was really sure when it would arrive and Kaitlyn insisted she needed to be in London for the birth. Lola was relieved when her mother told her that, she was scared shitless. She had heard stories from all of the well-meaning mothers that had gone through the experience before her. She wished they would just shut up instead of gifting her with so many horrific details.

 

“Lola, did you hear me?” Mac asked as he propped his head up with his elbow.

 

“Sorry, I was just thinking. What did you say?”

 

“I do still want to marry you, and not just because it’s the right thing to do,” Mac ran his finger over Lola’s very large belly.

 

“I thought we were not going to discuss this until later, Mac?”

 

“I’m just saying it again, so you know how I feel. I love you, I love spending time with you, and I can see us having a future together. I just want you to know. You can take your time to decide what you want, I won’t push you. I just want to remind you as to where I stand. I don’t want to follow in my parents’ footsteps, okay?”

 

Mac rolled towards Lola and kissed her on the side of her head before getting out of bed. “I’m going to shower, I’m kinda sweaty and—”

 

Before he could finish his sentence, Lola had rolled her big belly out of bed and was waddling to the bathroom ahead of him.

 

Mac playfully swatted her butt as she walked past him. “Gotta pee again?”

 

“Ugh, every five minutes. I swear I’m so done with this pregnancy thing. I never want to be pregnant ever again, Mac,” she sighed as she sat down on the toilet.

 

“You might change your mind one day, Lo,” Mac smiled as he leaned against the doorframe to the bathroom.

 

“Nope. You can have the next one if you want another baby.”

 

Mac’s eyes went wide. “Wait. So, are you saying you do want to marry me?”

 

“No. I just said you can have the next baby. I do want you to be in my life, Mac. I’ll need your help raising this kid. I just don’t know in what form that is right now. All I can focus on right now is getting back in shape for the Olympics,” she answered as she flushed the toilet.

 

“I love your determination, Lola. You will get into shape just fine, I know it. I can help you in whatever way you need too.”

 

“Mac?”

 

“Yeah?”

 

Lola started washing her hands slowly and looked at Mac through the mirror. “There’s something I never told you. Not that it really matters now, because I’m as big as a whale and useless on skates, but…I want to try ice dance with you. Obviously I know you have a partner already, but maybe just for fun? After the baby is born of course.”

 

Mac’s face lit up. “Really? You really mean that? Lola! Yes! I’ve wanted to do that too. I think you’d be amazing at ice dance. I mean, you’re amazing at synchro, but yeah, you definitely have what it takes to make a good ice dance partner. I’d be honored to dance with you.”

 

Lola reached into the shower and turned on the water. She nodded her head towards it. “Come on, shower sex. The faster this baby gets out, the sooner we can hit the ice together.”

 

Two days later, Elizabeth Jane Poje-Moir was born; a healthy 8 pounds even. Lola had done a 180 degree change the second the baby had been placed on her chest. She wept with joy and completely embraced motherhood from that moment on.

 

It had taken three days to give the poor baby her name. Eventually Lola and Mac agreed on the baby taking her grandmas’ middle names as her first and middle name and the last name came from the grandpas. Mac had suggested that if their parents had gone the traditional route and not used hyphenated names for them, they would have been a Poje and a Moir anyways. Order was defined as ladies first like in skating pairs, much to Scott’s disappointment.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Debate over the earring thing...at what point did it come loose? I thought I had seen a video of her fixing it as they were leaving the ice. Maybe it became loose after they left the ice. For the sake of fiction...we're going with the way I'm interpreting it ;)


	4. You Never Know What's Gonna Happen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was the end of June, one quiet Saturday afternoon when Mac got the call that would spin his life in a direction that he didn't see coming. You never know what’s gonna happen…
> 
> Mac reached for his cell phone as it started ringing. His heart began beating faster as he saw the caller ID. He picked it up, swallowing hard before accepting the call.

**Chapter 4: You Never Know What's Gonna Happen**

 

**June 2043**

 

Elizabeth, or Izzy as her family calls her, is 3.5 years old now and already very confident moving around on the ice in her tiny white figure skates. As much as her parents were first opposed to her being heavily exposed to skating, she was officially a tiny rink rat. With both Mac and Lola training six days a week, she was at the day care centre (conveniently located right at the rink) four days a week. After day care, one or both of her parents would have her on the ice to play. At first it was in their arms, and as soon as her feet fit the smallest skates, she was on the ice learning to skate by herself.

 

Grandpa Scott (Gamps, the name made up by Izzy) and Grandpa Andrew (Papa) were the biggest culprits in fostering her love of skating. Fridays were "Gamps and Papa day"; Izzy would spend the whole day with her grandpas. Most Fridays involved skating, ice cream, and lots of giggles. Tuesdays Izzy would spend the day with her Grandma Tessa (Gamtee, the name also made up by Izzy) and Grandma Kaitlyn (Nana). Now that she was three, their days involved shopping, dress-up, tea parties and trips to the spa to get their toenails painted.

 

Two years ago Andrew and Kaitlyn had moved permanently to London to spend more time with Izzy. Their younger daughter, Beth, had moved to Texas on a basketball scholarship, so they were officially empty-nesters. Beth was talented in her own way, she was driven and fast on the court. Thanks to her height that she inherited from Andrew, and graceful movement from Kaitlyn, her parents knew she would go far in her sport. It was possible she could go all the way to a summer Olympics one day.

 

Lola ended up taking six months off from training to be with their newborn daughter. She had committed to exclusively breastfeeding her until that point and she wanted to bond with Izzy while she was still small.

 

Kaitlyn was very happy her daughter had come around to motherhood. Lola was back to her bouncy energetic self within a week of the delivery. They lucked out and Izzy was a fairly good sleeper. Soon after Andrew and Kaitlyn had moved permanently to London, Mac purchased a two-bedroom townhouse and the family of three moved into their own home. While Mac appreciated all the assistance both sets of parents had offered them, he was feeling suffocated and needed his own space.

 

Marriage had been put on the back-burner for now, Mac realized that they could be a family without officially saying vows in front of their family and friends. Mac and Lola were content with their lives, training was hard but Saturdays were their favourite. They followed Tessa's love of sleeping in on Saturdays and eating brunch together while sipping on giant cups of coffee. A perfect start to their one day off every week.

 

Both Mac and Lola made it to their first Olympics; the 2042 winter Olympics had been held in Toronto. Mac had set high expectations for himself. His parents' first Olympics had been on Canadian ice and they took home one gold medal. He had wanted two gold medals, he had always been one to aim high. Lola's goal was the Olympic podium at minimum, something her parents never achieved in their skating career, but she too had her sights set on gold.

 

However, unlike Tessa and Scott, neither got the gold they were after. Mac and Connie took home the bronze in ice dance and came in fourth overall for the team event. A few stumbles and ice touches cause the gold to slip twice from Mac’s grasp. Ultimately, they were Connie’s mistakes and not his, but they were a team and didn’t place blame on each other. Lola did a bit better with a silver in synchro, but both Mac and Lola were still hungry for the elusive gold medal.

 

It was the end of June, one quiet Saturday afternoon when Mac got the call that would spin his life in a direction that he didn't see coming. _You never know what’s gonna happen…_

 

Mac reached for his cell phone as it started ringing. His heart began beating faster as he saw the caller ID. He picked it up, swallowing hard before accepting the call.

 

“Hello?”

 

"Hi Mac, this is Kelly, Connie's mom. I’m sorry to have to tell you this over the phone, sweetie. Con was in a water skiing accident earlier today. She's broken her leg quite badly and is in having emergency surgery right now. She wanted me to call and let you know. I'm so sorry Mac…this will probably put a hold on your fall season.”

 

"Oh my god! Is she okay otherwise?"

 

Lola was sitting on the floor playing dolls with Izzy. She looked up at Mac with a worried expression on her face, not knowing whom he was talking to.

 

"So far, just her leg. She's in good spirits right now. I'll keep you updated on when she's out of surgery."

 

"Thanks, I appreciate that. Let me know when she's ready for visitors and we'll swing by the hospital."

 

"Who was that, Mac?" Lola asked as Mac ended the call. She was a bit scared to know the answer.

 

"Connie's mom. Con broke her leg water skiing of all the damn things. She's having surgery right now."

 

Mac slammed his fist on the couch cushion beside himself and growled. He tried to hold back his anger so he wouldn’t scare their daughter. "Why does this keep happening to me, Lo? I can't seem to keep my partner for more than a few seasons."

 

"You don't know that she'll be out."

 

"If she's having surgery to put her leg back together, then yeah...she's as good as done. I had better start auditioning."

 

Lola chewed on her bottom lip for a moment. "What about me?" she asked softly, her eyes meeting Mac’s.

 

"What do you mean?" he cocked his head to the side and squinted his eyes at her.

 

"What if I be your new ice dance partner?" she smiled at him, a cautious smile, one that was hopeful but scared to hear his response.

 

"Aww, babe I don't know if you can pull off synchro and ice dance. I appreciate the offer but—”

 

"No. Not both. I would drop synchro and just be your ice dance partner. We've been skating together for the last three years. We're good. Even our parents have said so. We could work on some new, unique lifts and be ready in two and a half years. Your parents pulled off their comeback in that timeframe and got two gold. Why can't we?"

 

"I don't know, Lola."

 

"Come on Mac, just think about it at least, before you look outside of _us_ for a new partner. Maybe what you need has been right under your nose for the past few years. Like literally. My head fits just under it when we're wearing our skates, she smirked. "Let's bring it up at dinner tonight…see what the parentals think?"

 

Saturday nights were family dinner night. Everyone in the Virtue-Moir and Weaver-Poje families gathered together every Saturday for dinner, alternating between the two family homes.

 

*

 

"I would suggest that neither of you make any drastic decisions right now. See how Connie recovers and what she decides." Kaitlyn insisted. She herself had come back from a broken leg that required surgery.

 

"Nah, we were just tossing ideas around, mom. I'm not leaving synchro yet." Lola reassured her mom.

 

"The next Olympics are in Pyeongchang again, it almost seems kismet. Maybe Mac and Lola are supposed to partner together," Tessa pointed out.

 

"That's a lot of pressure to recreate what we did," Scott added.

 

"No, it's not!" Mac and Lola quickly replied at the same time. All four parents turned to look at them. Mac put his hand on Lola's knee, indicating that he wanted to go first.

 

"We are not you," Mac looked at Tessa and Scott. "I might be part Virtue and part Moir by blood and name, but I'm all Mac. I'm my own person and half of my own ice dance team. I don't want to recreate anything you've done. I want to do my own thing, not what's been done before by you two…or you two," he finished as he turned to look at Kaitlyn and Andrew. “No offence, of course.”

 

“None taken,” Andrew spoke up as the others nodded their heads in agreement. They all knew once Mac had made up his mind, it was a hard thing to change.

 

“Lola and I love dancing together, and while it's as an unofficial team on the ice right now, off the ice we are already an amazing team. If we did this, we’d go in acknowledging the fact that we are life partners and have a beautiful daughter together.” Mac stared at his parents and glanced occasionally at his in-laws. “We absolutely will not hide either of those two facts. I don’t want gossip and rumours, the ISU can go…screw themselves.” He wanted to say fuck, but knew he’d get a kick under the table from Lola; their daughter was _very_ impressionable.

 

“It sounds like you’ve made up your mind already, son,” Scott tried to keep a poker face, but he was terrible at it. The corners of his mouth were twitching into a grin. He knew Mac and Lola were good enough together, and they could probably pull off a double gold and follow in his and Tessa’s footsteps. They had the passion and drive that rivaled their younger selves. If they increased their speed a little and maybe added…

 

“Dad!” Mac groaned. “You’re talking out loud…we can hear you!”

 

“Your father is just excited, Mac. He will give you two and your coaches the space you need to just be the best versions of yourselves,” Tessa tried to smooth over Scott’s slip up. “Right, Scottie?” she gritted through her teeth.

 

“Yes, darling,” Scott sighed. He knew when she called him Scottie, that he had better listen hard and fast. Sometimes, Scott comically was her biggest and oldest child.

 

As a hard rule, started by Alma and Carol, Moirs don’t teach their own children to skate. Tessa and Scott had gone with that tradition, and as hard as it was to step back and let their children be taught by others, they knew it was for the good of everyone involved. That’s not to say that they didn’t offer advice, because Scott was full of it whenever he was allowed to watch their practices. Tessa was always reining him back in, reminding him that they didn’t even coach each other when they were skating, and they should not be offering unsolicited advice to their son and his dance partners.

 

*

 

As Mac put the truck in park, Lola turned around to look at their daughter in the back seat. "Izzy, we're going to visit Aunty Connie. She's staying here at the hospital."

 

"It's a hotel?"

 

"It does kinda look like a hotel. Aunty Connie got a big ouch on her leg so the doctor wrapped a big bandaid around it. You can give her the nice card you made and Daddy will carry the flowers that we bought. Mama and Daddy need you to be on your best behavior, okay? No running or shouting while we’re inside. Some people might be sleeping."

 

Izzy gave a thumbs up to her mom. “Got it!” she grinned.

 

"Hey peanut!" Connie greeted Izzy with a big smile as she watched the little girl bouncing into the hospital room. Everybody loved Izzy. Her personality was fiery; everyone was naturally attracted to her infectious laugh and boundless energy.

 

"Hi Aunty Connie! I made you this card!" Izzy waved it wildly in the air before handing it to Connie.

 

"Oh my goodness, I love the picture of the cat," she grinned at the colourful drawing on the card.

 

"He's eating spaghetti," Izzy pointed out before she skipped over to the large window to look outside.

 

“How are you doing, Con?” Mac asked as he gingerly wrapped his arms around his skating partner.

 

“Other than feeling like an idiot for managing to break my leg, I'm alright. The doctor has me drugged up pretty good, so I'm pain free at the moment.”

 

“That’s good,” Mac didn’t want to address the elephant in the room as he looked at her leg. The cast went all the way up to the top of her thigh and was elevated off the bed. He winced at how even her toes looked like they were in pain; they were swollen and tinted a light shade of purple.

 

Thankfully, he didn’t have to. Connie could read his mind; Mac was not always great at hiding his emotions. “I don’t know how long I’ll be out, Mac. I had three pins put in my leg, and I’ll have to do physio after it’s healed. It could all take a while.”

 

“Oh shit, Con,” Mac ran his fingers through his hair. “Sorry,” he apologized quietly for his language as he looked at Lola, but she had her back turned to Mac and Connie. Lola and Izzy were looking out the window and counting the cars in the parking lot, five floors below.

 

“Mac…I…” Connie started.

 

“No. Don’t make any decisions now. Give yourself a bit of time. You know I still have another Olympic run in me. That hasn’t changed. It’s only June, we have a little less than three years. Timing could have been worse.” Mac put his hand over Connie’s and gave it a squeeze. They were friends and co-workers, but never more than that. Not everyone falls in love with their skating partner, despite the example set out by his parents and in-laws.

 

**August 2043**

 

“You probably know why I asked you over,” Connie said quietly as Mac stepped inside her apartment.

 

“Yeah, I got a feeling. But go ahead,” he replied flatly as he flopped on her sofa.

 

“I’m sorry,” Connie winced as she sat down beside Mac, laying her crutches down on the floor in front of her.

 

“I know.”

 

“I’m done.”

 

“I thought so. I appreciate you giving me some time,” Mac put his arm around Connie’s shoulders and pulled her towards him for a side-hug.

 

“It’s not a lot of time though, competitions start right away,” she said softly as she put her head on his shoulder.

 

“I’m sitting this season out, Con. It will give me some time to figure things out and I can spend more time with Izzy. It’s not all bad.”

 

Connie was quiet for a moment before bringing up the question that was lingering in the air. “Do you have any prospects?”

 

“One possible lead,” Mac sighed.

 

“Is she any good?”

 

“I hope so. I want double gold in Pyeongchang, Con.”

 

“I know you’ll get it Mac. You have the Olympic flame burning brightly inside you. I’ve never known anyone more driven than you.”

 

“Thanks Con. Well, I should probably get home to help with bedtime. Don’t be a stranger…I’ll see you around I guess, eh?”

 

“Say hi to Izzy for me?” she asked hopefully. She’ll miss seeing that little girl at the rink almost every day.

 

“I will,” Mac replied with a grin. Any time Izzy was mentioned, Mac couldn’t help but grin. She was one of the best things that had ever happened to him.

 

“And Mac?”

 

“Yeah, Con?” Mac looked up at his former ice dance partner as he put his shoes on.

 

“I know you and Lola will get the double gold. She was my top choice for you too.”

 

“Thanks, Con. We appreciate all the support we can get.” It didn’t even surprise Mac that Connie knew who would replace her. Connie had seen them skate together. If she was being honest with herself, they had more chemistry than she ever could have had with Mac.

 

**September 2045**

 

Mac walked over to Lola before they took the ice for their free dance at the Autumn Classic International. They were sitting in first place after the rhythm dance. “Ready?” he asked as he nervously chewed on his bottom lip.

 

Lola wordlessly held her arms open; they had continued the Virtue-Moir tradition of hugs before they skated. It was something that Connie never believed in, and maybe if she had, they would have been more in synch at their last Olympics.

 

Mac fell into the arms that fit around him so perfectly. “I love you,” he whispered, knowing there was a camera or two focused right on them in that moment. They were hardly alone, but he was pulling the bubble shut around them.

 

“Just us,” Lola whispered back as their breathing and heartbeats found the same rhythm. “Trust the training. We got this.”

 

“Yeah, we got this. Let’s have fun,” he said with a grin as they stepped away from each other and towards the boards to wait for their cue to step onto the ice.

 

“Representing Canada, Lola Weaver-Poje and MacCormack Virtue-Moir,” the announcer’s voice echoed throughout the arena.

 

Kaitlyn and Andrew beamed from their seats in the audience, knowing Lola was going with the name change for this season, but hearing it announced over the loud speakers made it that much more official. Lola had decided for their new partnership, they should be true to themselves for their Olympic run. No hiding of anything. She would proudly display the two names she was given at birth, dropping her stage name.

 

Izzy sat between her grandmas and waved her little Canadian flag as hard as her five-year-old arm could. She didn’t understand the magnitude of what she was about to watch, but it was still exciting to see her mom in her pretty costume on the ice and she loved how her dad effortlessly spun and lifted her mom around.

 

“Brings back a lot of memories, eh?” Scott whispered in Tessa’s ear as he moved his arm around her shoulders. Skating at competitions: the energy, the nerves, the excitement, it was a mixed bag of emotions that they would both forever hold close to their hearts.

 

**January 2046**

 

Mac rolled over in bed and climbed on top of Lola. He started kissing her urgently. “Lo! Wake up, he said between kisses. “We made it!”

 

“Mmmm? Made what?”

 

Mac pulled back and cupped Lola’s face in his hands. The smile on his face reached his green eyes, they glittered with excitement in the dimly lit bedroom. “Team Canada! I just saw the email. Double gold here we come! Let’s celebrate, babe!” Mac cheered as he leaned in to kiss Lola passionately.

 

He felt a cool hand press against his chest and he pulled away to look at his beautiful life partner.

 

Lola raised an eyebrow at Mac, silently questioning his request.

 

“Yeah, I know…we’ll use a condom, no Olympic babies. But…maybe after? Izzy needs a sibling, Lolo. We can retire with our three Olympic medals and have a couple more babies?”

 

“Maybe after…we’ll discuss things once the dust settles. We’ll need time to let the results of the games sink in and we have Worlds right after the Olympics…”

 

“Okay, after Worlds,” Mac started kissing Lola’s neck.

 

“Mac…I might have one more cycle in me. Don’t you want to at least attempt to tie your parents and maybe win five Olympic medals?”

 

Mac rolled off Lola and sat up. Clearly she was not in the mood to do anything other than talk right now. “Not really. I want to do my own thing. Although, you know if we did one more Olympics after this, and we get double gold _again_ , that would beat their record for most Olympic golds overall, even though it would tie their individual golds. But that’s personally, not as partners. So far as partners we have zero Olympic medals. Besides, we're a long ways out. Let’s just focus on Pyeongchang first, and then we’ll deal with Russia.”

 

Mac wasn’t keen on Russia 2050. Russia was still a slight sore spot for his parents, even after all these years. But maybe, _just maybe_ , he could get redemption for them…even though they always claimed they never needed it.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you know I'd end up pairing those two together? I had dropped some hints in Chapter 1 ;)


	5. And I Wouldn't Change It For The World

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mac's sisters could be persistent little nags and he had the worst time saying no to them. The girls knew if they came down to the rink, and asked him for a favour while he was wearing his skates, that he'd cave to just about anything…stopping just short of helping them commit murder.

 

**Chapter 5: And I Wouldn't Change It For The World**

**February and March 2046**

 

There were three weeks between the end of the 2046 Olympics in Pyeongchang and the start of the World Figure Skating Championships in Munich, Germany.

 

Lola and Mac had walked away from Pyeongchang with two gold medals each around their necks. They had been a whole six points ahead of the Italians in their final overall score. The team event had been a lot closer in margin, but nonetheless they were thrilled with their double gold accomplishments. They had trained so incredibly hard for something they both wanted so badly.

 

Scott, Tessa, Andrew and Kaitlyn decided to make a vacation out of the time between South Korea and Germany, citing fewer drastic time changes would be easier on their bodies. They decided on two and a half weeks in Provence, France and insisted on taking Izzy with them.

 

Lola and Mac flew home with the rest of Team Canada to have some quiet decompression time alone. They were grateful that their parents had suggested this separation. As much as they loved Izzy, being parents to a busy six year old was a full-time commitment on top of their full-time training. That left not nearly enough for the two of them to be alone off the ice and to have time apart with their individual friends.

 

"Mac?" Lola called out his name as she lazily traced his abdominal muscles with her index finger. They had been home just a fraction less than 24 hours and they were both jet lagged and keyed up at the same time. They were supposed to be napping, but the sleep wasn't coming.

 

"Mm-hmm," he replied, not opening his eyes as his lips found her forehead. He always knew where she was without even looking. He could sense her body and smell her calming lavender scent.

 

"I did something."

 

Mac opened his eyes and propped his head up with his elbow. "I don't like the sound of that...what are we talking here? Break and Enter? Hit and Run?" He was being serious and Lola found it hysterical and wound up in an exhaustion-filled fit of laughter.

 

When she finally caught her breath, she kissed him. "No you doofus."

 

"Well...what then? Obviously I'm not good at guessing games," he laughed.

 

"I know we _mayyyybe_ should have talked this through fully, and I _prooobably_ should have told you sooner..."

 

Mac looked frightened, his heart was racing, _what was she getting at?_

 

She kissed him again, her lips lingering a moment before she pulled away. "Just before we left for the Olympics, I had my IUD removed."

 

Mac sat up, his face full of confusion. "What? Why would you do that?"

 

"We have a window. It's not that big, and maybe it will take a few months—”

 

"Wait...seriously? You really want do this? You said you never wanted to... _Lola!_ Really?" He had a shit-eating grin on his face and he was nearly bouncing up and down as he sat on the bed in front of Lola.

 

She dramatically rolled her eyes at him and grinned. "Yes, MacCormack. I agree that Izzy should have a little brother or sister. If you're ready, I'm ready."

 

"Like right now?" he asked as he dove towards her for a kiss.

 

She shrugged. "If you want...I'm dead-ass exhausted though."

 

"Okay, tomorrow! You're right, you’re right. We're both tired. Tomorrow we'll start...if you feel up to it." Mac sighed contently as he wrapped his arms around the love of his life. "I love you so much, Lola. I appreciate you doing this. I'm all in for another baby…and another quad if you still want that. I know we can do both."

 

Lola snuggled against Mac's chest. "I love you too. We can do anything if we do it together."

 

*

 

Before they knew it, they were standing on top of the podium at Worlds. They had done it; Olympic and World champions in ice dance for 2046. Maybe they were following in the Virtue-Moir footprints that had been left behind on the ice...despite the continual resistance to being compared to the iconic duo.

 

The morning after their win at Worlds, Lola refused to get out of bed. "I just feel so tired, Mac. You go ahead to the group breakfast, okay? I just need to sleep."

 

Mac didn't want to leave her alone, but he didn’t want to miss the last group meal. Every so often the excessive training or competing caught up with Lola and she pulled the sleep card on him. He didn't mind too much. She always gave every moment on the ice with him 110% effort with full enthusiasm. If she was tired, she earned it.

 

"Are you sure, babe?" he asked softly.

 

"Positive," her voice muffled from the pillow she had rolled over onto.

 

"Call or text me if you need anything or want me to bring any food back?" he asked, even though they both knew he would bring her food anyways, even if she didn't text him.

 

"Of course, but if you don't hear from me, I'm sleeping."

 

Mac pressed a kiss to the top of her head, breathing in her lavender scent, before quietly leaving the room.

 

When he returned an hour and a half later, she was still sleeping. Mac looked at his watch. They had only twenty minutes before they had to be on the bus with the rest of the team to head to the airport.

 

"Lola, you need to get up now sweetie. Bus leaves for the airport in twenty," Mac said gently as he rubbed her back with his hand.

 

Lola groaned in response but rolled over anyways. She sighed as she sat up and watched Mac do a quick check of the room, making sure nothing had been left behind. They had packed the majority of their things the night before to maximize their sleeping time in the morning.

 

"You can sleep on the bus and the plane," Mac grinned as he threw Lola a bra from her suitcase.

 

"I plan to," she yawned.

 

"I brought you some food, but you'll have to take it to-go."

 

"Thanks, Mac. I'm not really hungry yet anyways."

 

Mac gave Lola a _look_ , one he had inherited and perfected from his mother.

 

"Why are you not eating? You're thin enough as it is. Besides, I thought we were being more generous with the calories now that you're trying to get pregnant.”

 

Lola shrugged. "Just no appetite."

 

"Could you already be—” Mac paused, and put his hand on his stomach.

 

Lola shook her head. "No, I don't think it would have happened that fast. I figured it will take a few months since I had the IUD in for so long.”

 

"Okay. Maybe just from being over-worked and over tired, eh? Olympics and Worlds back-to-back is a lot."

 

Lola nodded again as she finished getting dressed and applied her mascara and lip gloss. She only used minimal make-up for travelling, but she couldn't go completely without, otherwise her face felt naked.

 

Lola slept the thirty-minute drive to the airport and for an hour on the floor of the airport before they boarded their flight.

 

Mac was beginning to get seriously concerned. It was during her airport nap that Mac decided to consult Kaitlyn and his mom. Thankfully they were all travelling home together. Scott and Andrew were chasing Izzy around the airport, attempting to burn off some of her endless energy pre-flight, allowing Mac to focus on his partner.

 

"She's _never_ been _this_ exhausted. I'm worried about her," Mac sighed as Tessa pulled him towards her for a comforting hug. Kaitlyn knelt down beside her daughter and brushed the blonde hair away from her face.

 

"Has she complained about anything in the last few days? Like an injury or illness?" Kaitlyn asked quietly as she looked up at Mac.

 

He shook his head. "She rarely complains about anything. Everything seemed normal after our last skate. She just woke up exhausted like this."

 

Kaitlyn looked at Tessa, her worried eyes searching those of her long time friend, and fellow mother, for answers.

 

"Maybe she caught a flu bug and just needs to sleep it off?" Tessa suggested.

 

"Possible, no fever though,” Kaitlyn said as she had her hand on Lola’s forehead.

 

"I don't know, Kait," Tessa shook her head. Tessa had never been _that_ tired after competing. She really didn't know why Lola was so exhausted.

 

"Once we get home, we will get her to see a doctor if she isn't feeling better. Maybe low iron or maybe she needs a B12 boost...but right now, sleep seems to be what she needs. Try to get some food and water in her though, okay?" Kaitlyn said as she rubbed her hand on Mac's back, she knew he was worried and felt helpless. "She's tough. I’m sure she'll be okay."

 

Lola seemed to come back alive about half way through their overseas flight. She chugged a bottle of water and picked at some of the food Mac had been squirrelling away for her.

 

"I'm worried about you, Lola,” he said softly as he rubbed his hand up and down her thigh.

 

“I'm fine, I promise. I was just really tired but I’m feeling better now. The excitement must have caught up with me. Thank goodness our parents are all here to help watch Izzy. I should get up and at least say hi to everyone and I have to use the washroom.”

 

“You sure you're okay though?”

 

Lola leaned over from her seat and kissed Mac on the cheek. "Yes. Stop worrying."

 

She was on her way back from the washroom and one row of seats away from her mother when Lola first felt dizzy. She made it the two steps towards Kaitlyn and collapsed in her lap.

 

"Baby girl," Kaitlyn gasped as Andrew flagged down a flight attendant.

 

Of course there was a doctor on board the flight (why _is_ there always one?), and he attended to Lola after she had fainted. The doctor wasn't overly concerned once Lola had regained consciousness. He suggested lack of food or dehydration or not moving around enough were easy culprits, but he strongly recommended immediate blood work to be done once they arrived back home.

 

The day after they returned home from Worlds, Mac took Lola to the doctor. It turns out Mac was right; Lola was pregnant. They decided to hold off telling the families until Mother's Day, blaming the tiredness and fainting spell on simply exhaustion.

 

**May 13, 2046**

 

The entire Virtue-Moir and Weaver-Poje families were gathered at Scott and Tessa’s house for their annual Mother’s Day brunch.

 

Once everyone had arrived, Mac stood up on a chair. “Could I have everyone’s attention please?” he called out in a loud voice.

 

A hush fell over the room as the multiple conversations in the kitchen and family room stopped. Mac grinned as he looked down at his partner and his six-year old daughter. “I just wanted to wish both of our moms a very happy mother’s day. You have done so much for the three of us, especially over the last six years. Izzy has a special gift for both of you.”

 

Izzy walked over to her grandmas and they pulled her in for a hug, Izzy sandwiched between them. “I love you Gamtee and Nana,” she said as she handed them each an envelope with her handmade card tucked inside.

 

As the grandmas opened their cards, they gasped at the same time. Taped inside each card was a picture of an ultrasound. They both looked up at Lola, who was already crying. She nodded and grinned.

 

“Really?” Kaitlyn asked as her own eyes filled with happy tears.

 

Lola crossed the room and gave her mom a hug.

 

“Congratulations baby girl, when did this happen?” Kaitlyn asked softly as she brushed the tears from her daughter’s face.

 

“Between the Olympics and Worlds,” she answered with a smile.

 

“So the fainting on the plane? And the exhaustion?” Kaitlyn asked, already knowing the answer.

 

Lola nodded and then turned to a sobbing Tessa.

 

“I’m so happy for you both,” Tessa said between sobs as she pulled Lola in for a hug.

 

December of that year, Kathryn Alice Poje-Moir (or Katie as they decided to call her for short) arrived one day earlier than her due date, much to the delight of Lola, who didn’t want to even think about going over again.

 

She was given the name Kathryn after Kate and it was similar to Kaitlyn’s name. They chose Alice because it was a name Lola loved, but also because the first part Al was in honour of Alma and the last part of the name was ice, so how could they _not_ choose it. Both Alma and Kate had passed away in the last two years and Mac had wanted to honour his grandmas, the way his parents had honoured Scott’s grandpa with his own name.

 

 

 

**Early November 2048**

 

“I really think you ought to at least consider this. _Please?”_

 

Mac sighed as he turned around to look across the ice where Lola was working on increasing the speed on her twizzles. He turned back to look at his sisters. "Fine. Okay. I'll talk to her tonight."

 

“Thanks, Macky-Mac! If anyone can do it, it's you two.”

 

"I'm not convinced they would want this, but I'll see if Lola is up for it," Mac hugged his sisters before they left him to finish his practice at the rink.

 

Mac's sisters could be persistent little nags and he had the worst time saying no to them. The girls knew if they came down to the rink, and asked him for a favour while he was wearing his skates, that he'd cave to just about anything…stopping just short of helping them commit murder.

 

*

 

"Oh, Mac, I don't know...isn't that sacrilegious or something?" Lola asked him when he brought up the girls' request later that night over dinner. "I mean…that was _their_ final free dance."

 

"I know. I feel very weird about it too...and I don't really think they would want this? I mean, that one time they had Layla and Alex do a little tribute, but...they were kids performing their old childhood routines. This is... _their_ Moulin Rouge." Mac sighed as he put more cut up chicken in Katie’s bowl.

 

“Think about it, I guess. I mean we've got almost four months to work on it, if we decide we want to do it. That's easily enough time since we can already do the bulk of their old lifts,” Lola pointed out.

 

“It's been a while since you've done the back flip, though. Not since before Katie was born,” Mac said as he raised an eyebrow at her.

 

Lola put down her fork with a clatter. “Are you telling me I _can't_ do it?” she huffed.

 

Mac knew that was all the challenge Lola needed. She was never one to be told she couldn't do something. Mac still needed convincing though. Maybe he would need to have a conversation with his dad...

 

*

 

"How do you and mom feel when you see other skaters performing your old signature lifts and parts of your old routines?" Mac asked Scott one night over beers.

 

"Well, first we're flattered, we don't really own any of the lifts. Some of our routines never reached their full potential, there was more that could have been done to improve them. Are you and Lola thinking of using something your mom and I did?"

 

Mac scratched his fingers through his hair. "Yeah, you could say something like that. I guess we're just tossing around ideas for the future?”

 

Scott put his arm around his son and pressed a kiss the top of his head. “Truthfully Mac…we are always incredibly honoured to watch you, half of each of us, out on the ice…regardless of the routine or lifts. You have my blessing to use anything you want. I’m sure your mom would feel the same.”

 

*

 

Mac’s sisters had the entire Virtue-Moir and Weaver-Poje families gather at the Ilderton rink the evening of February 20, 2048.

 

“Could I have everyone’s attention please?”

 

A hush fell over the large extended family.

 

“Mom, dad, we know it took you two a long time to watch your final skate because you wanted to keep that special feeling. We asked Mac and Lola to do this tribute for the 30th anniversary of your last official Olympic skate in Pyeongchang. We had the privilege of watching their practice earlier today, and we hope you’ll enjoy this as much as we do. We hope it brings back that special feeling to you once more.”

 

There were a few gasps in the audience as Mac and Lola stepped out onto the ice. They had the Pyeongchang costumes re-created and the girls had even convinced Lola to dye her hair black, so that from a distance they truly looked like the original Virtue and Moir.

 

Tessa’s heart began beating faster. She looked over at Scott and he already had tears in his eyes. The familiar music started, and then Zidler’s low voice began speaking the beginning of their Moulin Rouge medley.

 

_Another hero, another mindless crime behind the curtain..._

 

Tessa held her breath as they watched Lola jump backwards into Mac's waiting arms. He would always catch her, just like Scott had always caught Tessa. Her mind drifted as she watched them skate, not because she wasn't magically drawn in by them, because she was. Mac and Lola had the same special connection on the ice that she and Scott always had. Tessa thought back through an overview of their 22 years of skating together before Mac arrived, how she had been terrified to start a family with Scott and yet, here was their baby skating _their_ Moulin Rouge for them with _his_ partner while they held _their_ grandchildren in their laps. The tears flowed as she realized how their lives had taken a great big circle these last 30 years since the 20 years...god, 50 plus years with Scott by her side. Tessa could hear Mac singing along with the Come What May lyrics, just as Scott always had, pledging his love for her until their dying day.

 

Tessa knew in that moment, literally _come what may,_ that they all would be okay because of their love for one another. Memories built upon memories as Mac cradled Lola's head in their final pose on the ice.

 

The pair had executed the dance perfectly, replicating every move and nuance Mac's parents had incorporated for the Pyeongchang version of their Moulin Rouge free dance which was arguably the best they had skated that season.

 

Mac and Lola received a standing ovation, the girls were beaming that their brother had pulled this whole thing off in secrecy and that they had the foresight to hire a film crew to catch the reaction on their parents' faces and that epic tribute on the ice.

 

Kaitlyn and Andrew were just as emotional, watching that dance had brought back so many of their own memories from that season. It was like being hurtled back 30 years in a blink of an eye, as if time had allowed them to travel back and witness history take place in person, one more time.

 

As Lola stepped off the ice and put her guards back on her skates, she felt his hand on her arm. She turned to look at Mac; he had tears in his eyes.

 

"Thank you," Mac said quietly as he kissed her cheek.

 

 

**February 2050 Moscow, Russia**

 

"One last time," Mac whispered to Lola as they held each other for their hug, prior to taking the ice for their free dance. Both knew this was their last official Olympic skate. Mac was pushing through a nagging back injury that truly would only heal if he stopped training so hard. They would both be 30 soon and the likelihood of another four-year cycle was slim to none.

 

"Let's have fun. I love you,” Lola whispered.

 

Mac smiled. "I love you too."

 

Lola smiled as they released each other. She had a secret that she wouldn't tell to anyone until after this last skate; there would be three of them out on the ice tonight. She had just confirmed her suspicions that morning. She had once again gone off birth control and let life happen, _come what may_. She never expected with their training that again it would happen so fast. This time, Mac knew she was off it and they both agreed they would welcome another Poje-Moir whenever it happened. She would tell Mac and their families the good news tonight at their post-skate gathering, fingers crossed it would be another double gold Olympics. They already had the team gold, but they were sitting in second place going into their free dance.

 

*

 

"We want to thank everyone for coming all this way to watch our final four Olympic skates. We are unofficially officially retiring after this, so we appreciated all of your continued support this one last time," Mac smiled sadly at Lola as he squeezed her hand. It had been a great run, but it was time to move forward with life.

 

Scott and Tessa looked at each other with a sad, knowing glance. It seemed like just yesterday they were making the same decision to move away from amateur skating.

 

"We won't release a statement to the media until later this year," he continued. "Winning another set of double golds with the love of my life has been amazing, but there is one more set of golds that we are missing in our lives," Mac turned to Lola and got down on one knee.

 

Lola gasped when she realized what he was doing; he had caught her completely by surprise. Mac took her shaking hand in his steady one. "Lola Jacklyn Tanja Weaver-Poje I should have done this ages ago, but would you do me the honour of officially becoming my wife?"

 

Lola was sobbing so hard she couldn't speak. Her emotions from their gold medals and final Olympic skates coupled with her raging pregnancy hormones was too much and now Mac was down on one knee in front of her, in front of their families. Mac wrapped his arms around Lola's waist, pressing a kiss to her abdomen, not even realizing their third child was right there.

 

Mac looked up at Lola, her sobbing was breaking his heart. "Is that a no?"

 

Lola shook her head. "It's a definite yes," she managed to choke out.

 

A round of cheers and applause broke out as Mac stood up and kissed Lola on the lips before slipping the ring on her finger. He gently brushed the tears from Lola's face with his thumbs as she held her hand up to look at the solitaire diamond ring.

 

"It's gorgeous, Mac," she whispered. "Thank you. But what happened to not making life changing decisions during life changing events?"

 

"I know, but this has been a long time coming. I probably should have done this years ago. Besides, we're not really making any big changes here, just making things legal on paper,” he rationalized before kissing her on the lips.

 

"Well, in that case, I have something for you too,” Lola said, choking back the tears that were once again falling fast.

 

He looked at Lola with a puzzled look on his face. She took his hands and placed them on her still very flat belly.

 

Mac heard a gasp from somewhere in the room, it sounded suspiciously like his mother's. He shook his head, was she telling him they could start trying now...or that she was..."Lola, I don't..."

 

"I'm pregnant, Mac,” she sobbed.

 

"What?" he asked in disbelief.

 

"I just took a test this morning. It happened faster than we expected... _again_. You'd think by now—” Lola was cut off by Mac’s lips against hers.

 

"Wait," Mac said as he pulled back from her. “This morning? Lola! Why didn't you tell me before we skated? What if I had dropped you or you fell?"

 

"You wouldn't have…you _never_ have. We won gold, the three of us. There is nothing that would have kept me off the ice today. I didn't want you to treat me any differently during our last Olympic skate...we deserved that gold and we needed to chase after it at full speed.”

 

“Oh, Lolo, babe,” Mac brushed the tears from her face and pulled her in for a hug.

 

“I'm sorry I kept it from you, Mac. I just really needed you to focus on winning...no distractions," Lola's voice wavered as tears began running down her cheeks again.

 

“It's okay, it's okay. I'm not mad. I wouldn't change this moment for the world. Today has been the ultimate trifecta. My head is still spinning.” Mac turned towards their families, most of them also had tear-stained faces. “Well, I guess Poje-Moir number three is on the way.”

 

Aurelia Grace Poje-Moir (Lia for short) arrived October 18, 2050, one week early. Her name is from the Latin Aurelius, meaning gold, and therefore fitting as she was on the ice with Mac and Lola as they won their final two Olympic gold medals of their career. Mac had suggested Grace as the middle name because that was something his parents had always tried to live by, and if he could have only one thing for their granddaughter to inherit, it would be that she would live her life with grace…come what may.

 

 

 


End file.
